Sunday Race Info
Race: Xfinity 500
Date/Time: Sunday, November 3 / 2 p.m. ET
Distance: 500 laps / 263 miles
Track Length: 0.526 miles
Express Notes
Press Kit: Download the 2024 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedex.com/en-us/racing/press-kit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
Martinsville Notes: Denny Hamlin leads all active drivers in multiple categories at Martinsville Speedway, including wins (five), top-five finishes (19), top-10s (25), and laps led (2,448). He has led at least 100 laps in four of the last seven Martinsville races, including the past three fall races. In two fall races with the Next Gen car at Martinsville, Hamlin has won three of four stages and led 359 total laps. Last October, he started fourth, won stage one and finished third. Earlier this season, Hamlin started eighth, won stage two and led 66 laps before ultimately finishing 11th after running inside the top five prior to an overtime finish.
Homestead Recap: Hamlin turned in a solid effort last weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After starting fourth, he earned 14 stage points by finishing seventh in stage one and winning stage two. He restarted fourth with seven laps to go and made a gutsy move to grab the lead. Hamlin led with two laps remaining before finishing third.
Playoff History: This season marks Hamlin’s 18th appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs giving him the most appearances since the postseason format began in 2004. Over the course of his career, Hamlin has finished in the top five in points nine times, including the past five seasons working with crew chief Chris Gabehart.
History of the 11: Throughout NASCAR history, the No. 11 has visited victory lane more than any other car number. Hamlin’s win at Dover Motor Speedway was the 234th time a No. 11 car has won in the Cup Series. For Hamlin, his 54 victories driving the No. 11 are only one behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for most on the illustrious list of drivers who have wheeled a No. 11 car to victory lane. That list includes Bobby Allison (3 wins), Mario Andretti (1 win), Buddy Baker (2 wins), Geoffrey Bodine (4 wins), Bill Elliott (6 wins), A.J. Foyt (1 win), Denny Hamlin (54 wins), Ned Jarrett (49 wins), Junior Johnson (11 wins), Parnelli Jones (1 win), Terry Labonte (4 wins), Darrell Waltrip (43 wins), and Cale Yarborough (55 wins).
Hamlin Statistics
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Races: 37
Wins: 5
Poles: 4
Top-5: 19
Top-10: 25
Laps Led: 2,448
Avg. Start: 8.8
Avg. Finish: 10.2
Hamlin Conversation – Martinsville
What is your mindset about going to Martinsville 18 points below the cutline?
“It’s not an absolute must win. There are ways that we can get in on points if we score a lot of stage points and those other guys have some trouble. Realistically though, we will probably need to win based on what we’ve seen the last two weeks. I think we’re plenty capable if we can execute and put ourselves in the right position late in the race. We have been very fast at Martinsville for a long time, and winning this race is one box we haven’t checked since Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) and I have worked together. I know he wants it bad, I want it bad, and the team wants it. We just need to go make it happen.”
FedEx Along for the Ride at Martinsville: For this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway, the b-post of Hamlin’s No. 11 Camry will feature 1RATE. Race fans can now ship using FedEx One Rate, which offers simple and predictable flat-rate prices for their shipping needs. FedEx One Rate pricing allows customers to ship packages weighing 50 pounds or less to anywhere in the United States for a fixed price. For more information, visit fedex.com/onerate.
JGR PR
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